Editorials: Sand Sharks at the World Series; Unwanted attention in region from Columbia

Byline2:

Bluffton

The victory last week that put the University of South Carolina Beaufort baseball team into the NAIA World Series is one for the record books.

The team staved off elimination several times during the Hardeeville bracket of the NAIA Opening Round to become eligible to make the trip this week to Lewiston, Idaho.

What’s even more impressive is that the school is in its fourth year for athletics and already has made a name for itself.

Head coach Bryan Lewallyn at the beginning of the season saw promise in the squad and obviously was able to coach them well. He deserves credit for taking over the team after one year as an assistant when original coach Rick Sofield left to become a minor-league manager.

Lewallyn and the team starts its quest for a national championship at 3 p.m. Friday.

We, along with many others in the Lowcountry, will be rooting for them.

The school supports its athletic programs and for good reason. The baseball team is dedicated and has proven that with its determination already this season.

Part of the reason this trip to the World Series in Idaho is so special is because a good number of the players have been on the team since the program’s inception. They have been committed to the program and its progress since day one.

It would be incredible if the Sand Sharks could win it all.

We aren’t going to predict a title, but we are going to be biased when we say this team could be the team to beat.

There are 24 seniors and redshirt juniors on the roster. That gives the team a wealth of experience. Not every team playing in the tourament is as blessed. Or has as much heart.

The team has 10 players the original 2009 team. They even are dubbed “the original Sand Sharks” by one of the seniors, Conald Mansfield, who is a 2011 transfer.

Coach Lewallyn in Sunday’s Bluffton Today downplays the significance of the team’s appearance in the World Series. And we can appreciate him keeping the team focused with eyes on the prize. That’s what good coaches do.

We wish the team nothing but the best and think this trip to the World Series is just the beginning of something special at USCB.

The city of Hardeeville has drawn the attention of some folks in Columbia. And not because of the proposed resort-casino at Hilton Head Lakes or the city’s economic development efforts.

The State Ethics Commission last week deemed that there was probable cause in an ethics complaint filed in March against the Hardeeville Municipal Election Commission by City Council candidate Scott Ready.

Ready was wrongly disqualified by the three-woman local election commission for what amounted to a clerical error on his statement of economic interest form during the candidate filing period.

Ready appealed the decision, won reversal and also filed a complaint with the state alleging conflict of interest by the local election commission. Why the complaint has merit is simple. The chair of the election commission is Joyce Meeks, mother-in-law of Roy Powell, a sitting City Councilman who at the time was seeking re-election.

Had Ready’s disqualification not been reversed and had he not filed as a write-in candidate, Powell and Mike Sweeney would have been elected without an election as there were just two seats at stake in the May 8 city elections.

As it turned out, Powell did not win re-election and Ready and Sweeney won the two seats.

We have questioned before why Meeks did not recuse herself from the process. And we also take issue with the fact that the local election commission is appointed by City Council. It seems odd that the local election commission has authority over the certification of local candidates like the mayor and members of council whom they were appointed by in the first place.

The saga continues for Hardeeville as the hearing in this complaint was set for September and that’s a lot of time for more interesting rulings and decisions in Hardeeville to occur. Although it also gives time for the city manager, mayor and City Council to take a closer look at this local election commission, how it is appointed, why it exists and decide if it is even necessary.

We’re all for putting Hardeeville and this region on the map, but we want it to be for the right reasons.

The Ready vs. Meeks ethics complaint is what we consider unwanted attention from Columbia.